Vikings ideal QB reunion fantasy could've actually become reality, but they passed

The Minnesota Vikings made a rather simple and uncontroversial decision this offseason. With Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy in tow, and Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall still on the roster, they did not pursue a reunion with former backup QB and brief Minnesota celebrity Joshua Dobbs, who inked a contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Ironically, he is now tasked replacing Sam Darnold on the west coast.

Flash forward to the present day, however, and the Vikings are on the precipice of the regular season without a quality backup QB option following season-ending meniscus surgery for McCarthy, their top-10 pick. Darnold has performed well enough in camp to maintain QB1 status, but he has shuffled between multiple backup gigs in recent years. There is a reason Darnold, himself a top-10 pick once upon a time, was so easily and cheaply available for the Vikings.

Minnesota was already facing an uphill battle to adequately replace Kirk Cousins, arguably one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the NFL. Now there is less optionality for Kevin O'Connell and the coaching staff. Nick Mullens saw a few starts last season, but he profiled far better as a third-string emergency option, rather than a second-string backup plan in case Darnold can't cut it.

The Vikings had no way to predict McCarthy's injury, but now that it has happened, the decision to pass on a Josh Dobbs reunion certainly stands out. Affectionately nicknamed the Passtronaut, 29-year-old Dobbs appeared in five games (four starts) for Minnesota last season, before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals. In that span, he completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 895 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions, with another 163 yards and three touchdowns added on the ground.

Vikings' decision to pass on Josh Dobbs reunion stands out in hindsight

Dobbs is presently locked in a tight backup QB competition for the 49ers, battling 31-year-old Brandon Allen. Both have spot starting experience in the NFL, and both made the Niners' initial 53-man roster cut. Allen has a potential advantage since he was in San Francisco last season, but as Kyle Shanahan elucidated, there are advantageous attributes to both.

"I think when you have guys [whose], to me, skill level and giving us a chance to win are very similar but the ways they do it are slightly different, those are things that you always look into for the scout team," Shanahan told NBC Sports. "Those are things that you always look into how our game plan is, or what we think we need to beat another team."

Both Dobbs and Allen are expected to remain on the 49ers roster and heavily involved in their week-to-week activities, perhaps to the point of splitting scout team duties. Dobbs inked a miniscule one-year, $2.25 million contract this summer, so it's hard not to think about what could have been for the Vikings.

There are other potential targets at the QB position, and Minnesota will assuredly consider an upgrade if the right opportunity arises. The recent signing of Brett Rypien (and the subsequent waiving of Jaren Hall) won't do much to assuage concerns in the fandom. Rypien was stuck deep on the Chicago Bears' QB depth chart and hasn't shown much at the NFL level.

Maybe Dobbs becomes available down the line. Not every team rosters three quarterbacks and San Francisco could become more partial to Brandon Allen as the season progresses. That said, I'd wager that if any team keeps three quarterbacks around, it's San Francisco. We all remember the 2023 NFC Championship Game.